Trends in the business
Show business has trends, just like in the fashion business: certain types of action movies may be popular (THE AVENGERS, THOR, SPIDER-MAN, etc.), or there might be a surge of tv or film projects featuring young singers & dancers (GLEE, SMASH, etc.). This means that certain types of actors will be cast more than others during these trends. It is important to spot these trends in the business. Is there a particular ethnic group that is "hot" right now? Perhaps women with curly hair are in now. There was a time when men with five o'clock shadows were everywhere.
Trends are important to recognize -- perhaps your "trend" is hot, or you might be able to adjust your image to fit a trend. One time I remember one of my clients who used to do well commercially had stopped getting callbacks. I thought this was so odd, since she had previously been so "popular". I watched TV for several days in a row and concentrated on those commercials that my client had auditioned for -- I noticed that the women who landed the roles all had curly hair. Aha! I had spotted a new trend. I discussed this with my client, and she stopped straightening her hair; she soon began to get callbacks again. Now I know this might sound rather simple, but sometimes it is simple -- so simple that we fail to see what is there right in front of our eyes!. The whole point is to always be aware of the currect trends, and to see how you might fit into them. Sometimes it works! If your type is not "in" right now, keep looking for the trends - they are always changing, and a trend for your type may not be far behind!
